Officer destoyed Bloody Sunday notes

Thirteen civilians were killed on Bloody Sunday

An Army sergeant has said he destroyed notes about Bloody Sunday when he was told by the Ministry of Defence he might have to give evidence.

The soldier, given the codename Sergeant 1832 by the Saville tribunal, said he used the notes to draft a statement in 1998 and then destroyed them.

He rejected a suggestion from Michael Mansfield QC, representing some of the families, he destroyed the notes because he had witnessed a massacre in the Bogside.

Even at that stage, I had a sixth sense that the events that day might come back to haunt me - although I was thinking in terms of months not 27 years

Sergeant 1832

The tribunal is investigating what happened on 30 January 1972 when paratroops opened fire on civilians at a civil rights march in the Bogside in Londonderry killing 13 civilians. Another man died later.

Sergeant 1832, whose face was only seen by the panel of tribunal judges and lawyers, told the inquiry he heard shooting, but did not see anyone firing a gun on Bloody Sunday.

The soldier was the personal assistant to the British army's most senior frontline officer on Bloody Sunday.

'Destroyed originals'

He accompanied General Sir Robert Ford, the Commander of Land Forces, on the ground on Bloody Sunday and wrote up the general's diary of his movements that day.

The inquiry heard on Thursday that the witness took his own notes about what happened with him when he transferred to Germany soon after Bloody Sunday.

"Even at that stage, I had a sixth sense that the events that day might come back to haunt me - although I was thinking in terms of months not 27 years," he said.

You had seen something terrible that day which you knew would come back to haunt you

Michael Mansfield QC

Inquiry chairman Lord Saville was told that in summer 1972 the sergeant made notes from these documents and destroyed the originals.

He was contacted in September 1998 about his evidence to the inquiry and he retrieved the notes, typed up a fuller statement from them and threw the older notes away.

Mr Mansfield said: "You had seen something terrible that day which you knew would come back to haunt you.

"What I want to ask you is - whether the destruction of notes and the use of the word 'haunt' is because when you were on the roof, you did see effectively what was massacre and you have erased it?"

'Whitewash'

The witness denied the suggestion and said he destroyed the notes on which his statement was based only because it meant he had duplicate documents.

The tribunal is currently sitting in London to hear evidence from military witnesses.

The Saville Inquiry was set up by Prime Minister Tony Blair to reinvestigate the evidence because the relatives felt the first inquiry was a whitewash.

Lord Saville and the Commonwealth judges who comprise the inquiry, are not expected to report back until 2004.

The inquiry, which usually sits at the Guildhall in Derry, is currently hearing the evidence from military witnesses in London because of concerns for their safety.